The outfits, little details, and ideas making me want to get dressed.
I love getting dressed in the fall. I still love my summer clothes, but by October I’m ready for jeans, boots, jackets, and being able to put an outfit together without deciding whether I’ll be too hot to enjoy wearing it.
I also feel like my style makes a little more sense to me this time of year. In summer, I lean sweeter and simpler. In fall, I want darker colors, leather, bigger accessories, and something a little edgier. I start remembering pieces in my closet that I haven’t thought about in months, and suddenly I have all these ideas.
Actually trying those ideas is the part I want to make more time for. I can save outfits all day, but that doesn’t necessarily help when I’m getting ready to leave and have given myself seven minutes to figure out what to wear.
So I wanted to put some of those thoughts here. What I’m drawn to, the combinations I want to try, and a few things that help me when I feel bored with my clothes. Maybe you’ll find an idea for something you already have, too.
The things I keep coming back to
Good jeans, fitted sweaters, black leather, chunky boots, big belts, statement earrings, and a big bag. I realize that is quite a list, but those are usually the things I’m looking at when I save an outfit.
I love a feminine piece with something a little heavier. A long skirt with boots and a leather jacket, for example. I’d be much more likely to wear that than to style the same skirt with something delicate all the way through.
I like having some shape in an outfit, too. If my jeans are relaxed, I usually want a more fitted top. If I’m wearing a huge sweater, I’ll pay a little more attention to what’s happening underneath it so I don’t feel completely swallowed.
That’s something I find helpful when an outfit looks good in my head but feels off once it’s on. Before deciding I hate everything, I try changing one thing. Tuck the top, swap the shoes, try a shorter jacket. Sometimes I like all the pieces; I just don’t like how I’ve put them together.
Jeans and a fitted top will always be on my list
This is probably the outfit I’m most excited to keep wearing: good jeans, a fitted top, a belt, boots, and earrings.
I know it’s simple. That’s part of why I love it. I don’t always want to think of a completely new outfit, especially when there’s a combination I already feel good in.
The details are what make it fun for me. I’d try a bigger belt, a different bag, or earrings I might usually save for going out. With a simple top and jeans, there’s room for those things.
If you have a pair of jeans you love but always wear them the same way, try them with a few different shoes and tops when you have some time. Take pictures of the combinations you like. I need to do more of this myself, because apparently I cannot be trusted to remember an outfit once I’ve taken it off.
My love for a fitted black turtleneck
A fitted black turtleneck is one of those things I can picture wearing so many ways that I get excited just thinking about it.
With jeans and a belt, obviously. But I also love the idea of it with a long skirt, chunky boots, and a leather jacket. I’d wear that to church or dinner, or just because I wanted to wear the skirt.
I think finding pieces like this helps you understand your own style. What do you reach for and immediately feel good in? What do you keep wishing were clean? What would you happily wear again tomorrow if nobody noticed?
I want to pay more attention to those clothes when I shop. They tell me more about what I actually like than something I’ve admired on someone else but would never choose on an ordinary day.
I’m still a cargo-pants girl
I appreciate trousers and loafers on other women. I really do. But when I picture what I want to put on, it’s usually jeans or cargo pants with a fitted top and boots or sneakers.
I’ve tried to talk myself into liking certain things because I love the whole outfit on someone else. Then I imagine wearing it myself and know I’d spend the day wishing I’d chosen something different.
So I’m letting myself like what I like.
With cargos, I’d keep the top fairly fitted and then add earrings and a bag. It’s comfortable enough for errands or walking around, and I still feel like I’ve gotten dressed.
If you have a version of that outfit, keep it. You’re allowed to wear it often. Sometimes I think we make finding our style harder by assuming we need more variety than we actually want.
A trench over a gym set
I love this combination because there are days when I want to stay in comfortable clothes but also want to feel a little more ready to go somewhere.
A gym set, sneakers, a trench, and a bag would do it for me. Maybe sunglasses, depending on the day.
It’s also a good reminder to try the jackets you own over things you wouldn’t normally pair them with. I tend to put clothes into categories in my head, then forget I can wear them together. The coat I’d wear out to dinner can also come with me to get coffee.
The skirt outfit I want to try
A long skirt, a fitted knit, a leather jacket, and chunky boots is very high on my list.
I love skirts, but I don’t always want to feel especially dressed up or sweet. The jacket and boots make this feel much more like something I’d reach for.
If you have a skirt sitting in your closet waiting for an occasion, maybe try it with your everyday sweater or a jacket you wear all the time. I think sometimes we decide something is difficult to wear before we’ve given it much of a chance.
I’d like to give more of my clothes a chance this fall. There are pieces I genuinely love that I barely wear because I keep reaching for whatever is easiest. Spending a little time figuring them out would probably be more useful than finding another thing to buy.
Before I make a shopping list
I definitely still have things I want. Looking at fall clothes is part of the fun for me, and I’m not going to pretend I don’t enjoy it.
But I want to try getting dressed with what I own before deciding what I need. If I keep putting together outfits and wishing I had the same pair of boots or the same kind of jacket, that tells me something.
I’m also trying to picture the whole outfit before buying one piece. What shoes would I wear? Do I own the right top? Would I actually be comfortable in it? I don’t want to bring something home and discover that wearing it requires an entirely separate shopping trip.
One thing I’d suggest is looking through your saved outfits for repeats. Maybe you keep saving dark jeans, brown jackets, or the same shape of bag. Then look at your closet. You might already have your own version, or you might find the one thing that would help you wear more of what’s there.
And some things can stay in the saved folder. I can love how something looks without needing to figure out a place for it in my life.
Don’t forget the earrings
Sometimes I’m almost happy with an outfit, but I keep changing the clothes when what I really want is a pair of earrings and a belt.
Those little things make such a difference for me. I love a big bag, jewelry with a little presence, dark nails, and warmer makeup this time of year. I also love what a fresh haircut does for the clothes I already own. Suddenly I want to try everything on again.
You don’t have to do all of those things. But if getting dressed has felt boring, think about which part you usually enjoy. Maybe you love doing your hair, wearing lipstick, or choosing jewelry. Give yourself a few minutes for that.
I know I feel more like myself when I make time to get ready, even if I’m not going anywhere particularly exciting. I enjoy it. That’s a good enough reason.
This fall, I want to do more with that enjoyment. Try the outfits I’ve been thinking about. Wear the skirt. Take a mirror picture when I like what I’ve put together so I can remember it later.
There will still be days when I wear whatever is clean and leave in a hurry. But on the days when I have a little time, I want to let this be something fun again.
I hope you find a few combinations you’re excited to wear, too. And if you already know your favorite, I hope you wear it as many times as you want.
